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Whether your parents are very involved in your life or tend to be more hands-off, moms and dad (and stepmoms and stepdads) can play an important and useful role in your job search and career planning. If you’re comfortable asking your parents for help with your career, there is a lot they can do to support you at any stage. Why not use every resource you’ve got—especially one that loves you? And why not approach your loved ones for help while you’re all eating turkey and feeling grateful? (Just be sure to ask for help before that L-tryptophan kicks in and everyone falls asleep.)

The thing is, there are some areas where it is totally appropriate and encouraged for your parents to help with your career planning and job search. At the same time, there are other situations where it is totally inappropriate for your parents to be involved. So, be careful! When in doubt, ask someone outside of your family (such as a trusted professional friend) whether parental involvement would be Kosher or not.

Here are my personal tips on when to green light Mom and Dad’s help this holiday:

Rehearsing for interviews. Just as our parents can be our biggest supporters, they can also be our biggest critics–because they want the very best for us, of course! Your parents or relatives can help you prepare for any upcoming interviews by running through questions, helping to choose an appropriate interview outfit or videotaping a rehearsal. The more practice you have interviewing, the better.

Reviewing any assessments you’ve taken. When you take any assessments tests—online, with a career coach or in a book (a free assessment is available on my book’s website), your parents can be a great help in reviewing the answers. For instance, they may remind you of activities you loved as a child that you may have forgotten about, but that show up as strong interests on an assessment test.

Proofreading. You can never have too many people checking your resume, cover letters and any other professional correspondence. If your parents have good grammar and spelling abilities, ask them to check some of your career-related writing.

Networking. Your family members count as part of your network. Ask your parents if they’d be willing to brainstorm any of their contacts who might be helpful for you. You’d be amazed at how many people come to mind when they really think about it. And, if you’re like most young people, I’ll bet you haven’t really spent time talking to your parents abour your career goals.

Some people aren’t comfortable asking their parents for help and connections—it’s fine if you feel this way, and of course there are lots of other connections you can access. But if you are comfortable networking with your parents, then I’d make theirs the first Rolodexes on your holiday networking list.

Lindsey Pollak is the author of “Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World” (HarperCollins, 2007).
Author Website: http://lindseypollak.blogspot.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

A good job is one that you love. Loving a job means that you like what you are doing, and you like the people you work with on a daily basis. We are all the happiest we can be when we enjoy what we are doing so much that it is no longer “work.”

Interview preparation begins today, right now.
Evaluate yourself by learning what it is that YOU like. Take a few minutes to ask yourself these questions:

• What do I like doing?
• What do I enjoy doing when I’m not working?
• When was the last time I was really having fun? What was I doing then?
• What do I like about my friends; what types of people are my friends, and what qualities do they have that I like?
• In previous jobs, or even when working on previous projects, what stood out about the people I liked?

As we all know, the world is not always about what we like. Now ask yourself the same questions from above, but ask yourself what you do NOT like.

These questions (what I like and what I dislike) are the foundation of finding a good job. Your answers to these questions will change from day to day, and over time. Continue to ask yourself these questions, on a daily basis; as you grow older and experience more things, your answers to these questions will change, and so should your career.

What the interviewers know.
It is a natural human instinct to migrate towards other people who enjoy whatever they are doing. When you sit down for an interview, you must recognize that the people who hire you will not only evaluate you, but your job performance will also reflect upon them. If you are a good, contributing employee, it reflects positively on them; if you are not a good employee, it reflects negatively on them.

What you, the job seeker, needs to know is that no one is 100% qualified for any job; the interviewers know this. An interviewers definition of the “best person for the job” obviously takes into account your skills, but more importantly, they are looking at your past performance, and how well you will fit in with their company.

Make every day a GREAT day.
It’s a lot easier than it sounds. An interviewer will see through a fake smile; every job seeker has one. What will set you apart is what you have accomplished (or in interviewer terms “past performance”). A job seeker who is able to speak about things that he/she has accomplished radiates excitement, fun and competence.

And it is also a natural human instinct to feel pride in our accomplishments – it shows that we enjoy what we do, and we’re not just “collecting a paycheck.” Interviewers are looking for a new employee who will contribute to the company and will work well with others.

Creating Accomplishments
Ask yourself this question:
Over the past 3 months, what is one thing that I have done that I feel was an accomplishment – something that made me proud of myself?

Your answer is either business related, or something in your personal life (non-work related). Both answers are acceptable.

Now, preparing for an interview, think of what this job will require of you, and find at least one business and one personal accomplishment that you can relate to this job. How might your accomplishments help you to do this job better than any other candidate for the job?

You may find it necessary to create an accomplishment, and this is easy. Whether you are a fork lift driver, painter, accountant, or doctor, every day there are things that you can do that will help your company, or help others. You do and see things that no one else does. When you wake up in the morning, think about making a difference.

As a fork lift driver you are told where to pick up pallets, and where to put them. You may find that you can travel less distance (saving the company money) if the pallets are first unloaded in a different area of the warehouse. As a painter you may notice that a newspaper advertisement from a competing paint store (to your supplier) is offering your supplies at a lower cost. You can point this out to your manager, who can either purchase from the lower cost supplier, or negotiate lower costs with your current supplier.

Everything your company does, it does for a reason – the reason for doing things may have changed, but the old processes are still being used. Change brings opportunity for you to make a difference.

Desire to make a difference is a sign of success.
Interviewers want to hire people who want to succeed. Demonstrate with your accomplishments that you are someone who wants to exceed. The truth is, the majority of people just want a job, and these are the people who, when hired, reflect negatively on the interviewer.

Desiring to make a difference changes your day for the better.
When we “want” to do something, we are much happier, and ultimately better employees. Complaining about our jobs is the most common topic of conversation with our friends and family, and it’s negative conversation. But discussing ways to improve things is intriguing, and will lead to even newer and better ideas for change.

The first few weeks of a new job are usually our happiest times. After the job becomes “normal” we revert back to “collecting a paycheck.” It doesn’t have to be this way.

If you were, or are, just “collecting a paycheck” – who do you think will want to hire you?

Accomplished people “choose” their jobs.
It’s true. If you desire to make a change, and you continue to create accomplishments for yourself, you are different from the majority of people, and there are HUNDREDS of new and better jobs for you.

Focus on making a difference, and having fun, even if the job you are doing isn’t what you really want to do. As you become more and more accomplished in making a difference, continue to ask yourself what you like to do. This attitude of making a difference will open your eyes to many new possibilities for yourself, and your career. And when jobs in your chosen field are available, YOU will be the one who is hired.

Preparation is when “luck” meets “opportunity.”
Make every day a GREAT DAY by focusing on making a difference.